Nine inductees enter South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame

The class of 2014 was inducted into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.

The group of nine athletic standouts brought total membership to 245.

Mel Tjeerdsma (upper left) and Ted Kessinger (lower left), two of the nation's greatest small-college football coaches, were among those honored Saturday by the Hall of Fame, which was established back in 1968 by the South Dakota Sportswriters Association.

Also among those honored were former South Dakota State sports standouts Jay Dirksen, Herb Bartling and Arnold "Nig" Johnson.

MEL TJEERDSMA

FOOTBALL COACH

The Springfield High and 1967 graduate of Southern State in Springfield was one of the most successful coaches in the history of college football.

He coached Northwest Missouri State to a 183-43 record and three NCAA Division II titles in 17 seasons. Northwest was 0-11 in Tjeerdsma's first season in 1994, then went 183-32 the next 16 years. The Bearcats won back-to-back national titles in 1998 and '99 and added a third title in 2009 that capped an unprecedented run of five national championship game appearances that began in 2005. The 1998 team was the first NCAA Division II team ever to go 15-0. The Bearcats won 12 conference titles in Tjeerdsma's last 15 seasons and they went to the playoffs 13 of the last 15 seasons. The winningest coach in school history, he had more postseason wins than any coach in Division II (32-10 record) at the time of his retirement. He was a four-time national coach of the year honoree and was Liberty Mutual's Coach of the Year in 2009. He is a member of the NCAA Division II Football and Missouri Sports halls of fame. He is a past president of the American Football Coaches Association.

In 2011, he coached Team USA to the championship at the International Federation of American Football World Cup in Austria.

He has been the NWMS athletic director since April 2013, overseeing another national title for the Bearcats last fall.

He and his wife, Carol, have three daughters: Brenda, Becky and Cindy.

JACK THEELER

BASKETBALL

An all-time greats at USD, Theeler set the Coyotes’ single-game record for points with 49.
(Photo:
Submitted
)

A 1963 Sisseton grad, Theeler was one of the University of South Dakota's all-time great basketball players.

The 6-foot-4 forward was just the sixth player all-time to earn all-North Central Conference honors during three consecutive seasons (1966-68). He was an honorable mention All-American as a junior and senior. Theeler, who transferred to USD from the University of Minnesota, led the Coyotes in scoring and rebounding all three seasons.

He held the record for most points in a season with 608 during the 1966-67 season. His average of 26.4 per game is still a school record. That season he set the school single-game record twice, with an NCC-record 48 points (22 of 23 free throws) against SDSU, then 49 at Northern Iowa (20 field goals). He averaged 29.1 in league play but lost the NCC scoring title to North Dakota's Phil Jackson, a future NBA player and coach.

In his career, he scored a school-record 1,573 points (21.5 per game). Today, with freshman eligibility and the 3-point shot, his numbers would have been much bigger.

Upon graduation, he held 12 school records, including career rebounds (720/9.86 per game) and two conference marks. He still holds Coyote single-game records for points (49), free throws (22) and field goals (20).

In high school, Theeler was first-team all-state and first-team all-tournament as a junior and senior. He starred on the 1963 unbeaten Class A champion Sisseton team. He also starred on the 1962 team that went 23-2 and finished third at state, falling to Washington in overtime in the semifinals. That game was ranked the fourth greatest game in state history by the Argus Leader.

He was the MVP of the state amateur basketball tourney in 1973. He was inducted into the USD Hall of Fame in 1982 and the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.

He and his wife, Nancy, have three children: Tyson, Brett and Jill.

JAY DIRKSEN

RUNNING & COACHING

Jay Dirksen coached SDSU to the 1973 NCAA Division II men’s cross country title. He coached for more than 30 years at the D-I level. Dirksen also qualified for the 1968 U.S. Olympic trials in the marathon.(Photo: Submitted)

A 1963 graduate of General Beadle High School in Madison, Dirksen excelled as a runner and a coach. The 1968 South Dakota State grad coached SDSU to the 1973 NCAA Division II men's cross country title before spending more than 30 years as a coach at the Division I level, mostly at Nebraska.

He began his coaching career as the men's cross country and track coach at SDSU in 1969. In 1975, he started SDSU's women's cross country program. In eight years as SDSU men's cross country coach, the Jackrabbits were North Central Conference champs four times and runners-up four times. His men's track teams won four NCC titles (2 outdoors, 2 indoors).

He coached the Cornhuskers for 28 seasons before retiring in December 2011. At Nebraska he was the head cross country coach and assistant head track coach in charge of distance runners. There he coached 14 cross country All-Americans, 39 track All-Americans, 45 track individual conference champions and five Big 12 women's cross country team champions (1985, '88-89, '91, '93).

In track, Dirksen and head coach Gary Pepin put together an impressive run as the men and women combined to win 61 conference team titles (33 women, 28 men) during Dirksen's years as the distance coach. The women won the 1984 indoor national title and swept the indoor and outdoor conference titles from 1984-95.

As an athlete, he was the state prep Class B mile champ in 1963. At SDSU, he was an NCC champ in the 2-mile and 3-mile and was an All-American in the steeplechase. He finished 28th in the 1969 Boston Marathon. In all, he won eight of 16 marathons he entered. He qualified for the 1968 U.S. Olympic trials in the marathon. His best marathon time was 2:21:53, in 1969 (which was third best in the U.S. that year).

Dirksen and his wife, Diane, live in Hot Springs Village, Ark. They have two children: Derek and Kristi.

TED KESSINGER

Football coach

Ted Kessinger(Photo: submitted)

A Sioux Falls native who was a 1959 Washington High and 1963 Augustana graduate, Kessinger is one of the few South Dakotans to be inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame, in 2010.

He was the football coach at Bethany (Kan.) College for 28 years, compiling a 219-57-1 record with 16 conference titles.

The Swedes were 1-9 in 1975, the year before Kessinger arrived, but they never had a losing season under Kessinger. He was named Coach of the Year in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference 11 times. He was the winningest active NAIA football coach at the time of his retirement. Twenty times the Swedes were nationally ranked in the season-ending NAIA top 25. Ten times Bethany reached the NAIA playoffs. He was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

"My Christian ministry was the most significant responsibility of my coaching career," Kessinger said. "I had the privilege of coaching more than 1,000 players. ... A significant factor in the good fortune we had as a Bethany football team was based on a principle of caring about each player's total needs, and his family's needs, whether it be academically, spiritually, socially or athletically. I believe without question the credit for the success of our football program was due to the support of my wife and children who understood my responsibilities, the dedication of our players, the outstanding talent and loyalty of my assistant coaches, and a college that was committed to achieving success. Thankfully the good Lord blessed me with these associations plus influences from my parents, brother, high school and college coaches."

Kessinger started coaching as an assistant at USD, went to Augustana (Ill.) as a football assistant and head wrestling coach (winning five conference wrestling titles in five years), then returned to Augustana (S.D.) as an assistant football coach from 1969-1975 before coming to Bethany.

In retirement, he continues to be an active layman in the Lutheran Church, and often is called upon to preach and speak to youth, civic, educational, church and other groups.

He and his wife, Nancy, live in Lindsborg, Kan. They have three children: Kent, Kristin and Erin.

HERB BARTLING

Football

Herb Bartling(Photo: submitted)

A 1947 Brookings High grad, Bartling was an All-American quarterback on the undefeated 1950 South Dakota State football team. SDSU hasn't gone unbeaten since.

The 6-foot, 175-pound Bartling was named Most Valuable Player in the North Central Conference after guiding the Jackrabbits to a 9-0-1 record and a league championship in 1950 under Coach Ralph Ginn. He also quarterbacked the 1949 team to a share of the title. Bartling was SDSU's best passing quarterback to that date. Bartling lettered four times in both football and basketball. He was all-NCC in football in 1949 and 1950, and was all-NCC in basketball in 1950 and 1951. He was inducted into the SDSU Hall of Fame in 1979.

At Brookings High, he was one of the greatest all-around athletes in school history.

The Bobcats were 20-4-2 in football with Bartling as passer, runner and punter. In basketball, he was all-state three years and helped Brookings win the 1946 state Class A title, again with Ginn as coach. The Bobcats finished third in 1947. In track and field, Bartling earned points in the discus, high jump and relays on the strong Bobcat teams of 1946 and 1947. He was inducted into the Bobcats Hall of Fame in 2009 with his brother, Bob.

A 1951 SDSU graduate, Bartling was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and went to Korea in 1952.

Bartling earned a master's degree from the University of Texas and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. He worked 14 years at SDSU in Student Personnel Services and 20 years at Eastern Illinois University as Director of Counseling and Testing.

Bartling married Lolita Lund (deceased), an SDSU graduate. They had three children: Debra, Lisa and Tom. He and his second wife, Sharon, have celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. They live in San Antonio.

ARNOLD "NIG" JOHNSON

Football

Arnold "Nig" Johnson(Photo: submitted)

The Brookings grad was named the captain of the all-state football team for 1952 by SoDak Sports and also the state's Athlete of the Year for the 1952-53 school year.

The 5-foot-9, 150-pounder was a high school All-American in football and set an Eastern South Dakota Conference scoring record (102 points in seven games) in 1952.

He led Brookings' 12 Iron Men to a 14-14 tie with mighty Sioux Falls Washington in one of the most memorable games in state history, scoring both Bobcat touchdowns despite being double-teamed all game long.

"One on one I just don't think anybody could stop that kid," Washington coach Bob Burns said. "He was probably the best high school running back I've ever seen or at least that one of my teams ever played against.''

Johnson was a four-year starter in football and basketball at Brookings. He was all-state in basketball in 1952 and 1953, and led BHS to the 1952 state title. He won three events at the 1953 state track meet (broad jump in a meet-record 21-10.75, 100-yard dash in 10.1 and 220). in 23.0) and anchored the runner-up 880 relay. His best long jump of 22-9 was a school record for more than 50 years.

At SDSU, he lettered in football, basketball and track. In football, he played quarterback and halfback and was all-conference in 1956, when he led the NCC in total offense. He set several school passing records.

He later became a fine golfer and bowler. He once bowled a 300 game and had a high average one season of 215.

He managed a bank insurance agency in Cokato, Minn., for many years.

He and his wife, Jan, live in Cottage Grove, Minn. They have four children: Becky, Greg, Brad and Jeff.

DICK CALLAHAN

Football and track & field

Dick Callahan(Photo: submitted)

A 1960 Sioux Falls Washington High grad, Callahan was a starter on the 1963 Nebraska football team that was ranked sixth in the nation, went 10-1 and was the Big Eight and Orange Bowl champion.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Callahan had eight receptions for a team-high 157 yards during the regular season as the Cornhuskers won the Big Eight for the first time in 23 years. In a 23-9 win over Gale Sayers-led Kansas, he had three catches for 60 yards. Late in the season he was moved to safety, and in the 13-7 Orange Bowl win over Auburn he had an interception, knocked down several other passes and had a number of tackles.

He lettered three years at Nebraska (1961-63). The Huskers were 3-6-1 in 1961 and 9-2 in 1962. In 1961 he was a reserve running back, rushing 12 times for 64 yards in a 16-13 win over Iowa State. In 1962, Callahan caught 14 passes for 236 yards and a TD, including four for 47 yards in a 36-34 win over Miami in the Gotham Bowl at Yankee Stadium, the first bowl win ever for the Huskers, who were coached by Bob Devaney.

As a senior, he was a second-team Scholastic All-American.

In high school, Callahan was a member of three state championship track teams. He was first-team all-state in football and second team in basketball as a senior. In football, he tied a school record his senior year by scoring 103 points (in seven games). Included in that was a six-TD game against Aberdeen in which he rushed for 250 yards, including a 96-yard TD. In track, he won the 880 and was second in the 440 at the 1958 and 1960 state meets. In 1959, he was second in the 880 and fourth in the 440. As a senior, he anchored Warrior teams that set state records in the mile relay (3:27.8) and 2-mile relay (8:18.1) at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays. In baseball, he led his team in hitting two years in Legion and was named to the all-region team.

Callahan was vice president of NorthWestern Bell of South Dakota, and he's a former president of US West International and Business Development Group. As the co-chairman of IndiVerse Broadband Partners and the founder of Cable Partners Europe and Callahan Advisory, he develops, operates and finances communications and information projects around the world.

He and his wife, Celeste, live in Denver. They have three children: Kelly, Tim and Colin.

PAUL FERRIE

Softball

Paul Ferrie(Photo: submitted)

The Sioux Falls man was perhaps the state's greatest fastpitch pitcher. He started pitching in 1939 at age 12, playing on a team with his brother Buster and neighborhood friends.

Over a 26-year career, Ferrie was a feared power hitter, but it was on the mound where he would really make a name for himself. He has been regarded as the greatest pitcher to ever toe the softball rubber in South Dakota. He was at one time rated one of the top five pitchers in the country. The 6-foot, 175-pound right-hander won four straight state titles from 1950-1953 with Pitts ('50), Empress Bar ('51-52) and Hilltop Tavern ('53). Brother Buster played with him on all four and brother Roger, himself a S.D. Sports Hall of Famer, played on the '52 and '53 teams. Paul won the state title again in 1956 with Bullpen Bar. During the 1956 state tournament, he pitched five consecutive shutouts while striking out 65 batters. From 1946 to 1954, his record was 497-31. In 1952, he threw three straight no-hitters in the state tournament. Ferrie earned the name Iron Man of Softball by pitching eight games in one day. In one 15-inning game, he struck out 30 batters. He also struck out 21 batters in a seven-inning game, allowing just one hit.

In 1957, he moved to Fargo, N.D., to pitch with Nassif Rug. He would return to Sioux Falls later in the summer to win a tournament where he beat longtime rival LeRoy Carlson. He pitched 38 straight scoreless innings that summer, including three no-hitters and back-to-back perfect games. He would win the North Dakota state title the following year.

After two years in Fargo, Ferrie moved back to Sioux Falls to pitch with Lyle's Mobil. He also coached the Lyle's Junior team to a state title in 1962.

In 1963, he moved to Wahpeton, N.D., and started a softball team where he won state titles as a player in 1965 and as a manager in 1967.

Over his career Ferrie won over 800 games, pitched 80 no-hitters, 11 perfect games and averaged 14 strikeouts a game.

He pitched an exhibition against Chicago's famous Hottentots in 1953 in Sioux Falls, striking out every batter in the four innings he pitched.

He and his wife, Delores, had three children: Paul Jr., Susan and Russell. He died in 2008.

DOUG STANFORD

Baseball & Basketball

Doug Stanford (left)(Photo: Submitted)

A 1962 Rapid City Central and 1967 Black Hills State grad, Stanford was one of the state's greatest amateur baseball players.

The pitcher-outfielder was a two-time state tournament MVP (1972 and '73) and he hit 26 home runs in 1976 to tie the single-season state record. In 1973, the 6-foot-1½, 205-pound right-hander pitched two complete games in 107-degree heat on the final day as Macy's won the title, a feat that hadn't been done since 1939. He was 9-0 that season. The year before he went 17.1 innings on the final day but Macy's lost in the finals. In 1976, at the National Baseball Congress Midwest Regional he was named to the all-tourney team. He played for 15 seasons: three years for Brezina Construction, two for Hillsview Dairy and the last 10 ('67-76) for Macy's.

He's a member of the following halls of fame: S.D. Amateur Baseball, S.D. Amateur Basketball, Black Hills State and Rapid City Area Sports. He was the state's Independent Athlete of the Year in 1972, when he helped Lemmon to the state amateur basketball title and was MVP of the state amateur baseball tourney. He won his first amateur basketball title in 1970 with Haines Trucking of Faith, defeating Lemmon by two points to win the region, then beating Huron by three, Ethan by four and Sturgis by three for the state title

At BHSU in 1965, he was a second-team NAIA All-American outfielder and was second-team all-South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference in basketball. In baseball, the left-handed hitting slugger he hit .473 in '65. In a doubleheader against Dickinson State, he hit five home runs and drove in nine runs. As a walk-on in basketball, he was a four-year starting guard. In '65, he averaged 15.3 points and 8.7 rebounds to help the Yellow Jackets to their first conference title in 36 years.

At RC Central, he lettered two years each in basketball, football and track. In Legion baseball, he pitched a four-hitter and struck out 13 in the finals as Rapid City Post 22 won its first state title in 1961.

He was a teacher and coach for 33 years, coaching girls and boys basketball, track, golf and football, sometimes as the head coach and sometimes as an assistant. He coached at Faith(1966-76), Milbank('76-78), Lemmon ('78-87) and Lead-Deadwood ('87-99). He coached Lead-Deadwood's girls to the 1991 state "A" basketball tourney.

He and his wife, Donna, live in Deadwood. They have two daughters: Karmen and Marci.